TopCad 105mm Aluminum Piggyback Shocks for AxialWraith

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The first episode of my Axial Wraith project had me installing some aluminum goodies to help boost boththe look and durability of the crawler. These parts worked great to reduce some of the flex, allowing theWraith to have a more positive feel out on the rocks.

The next area I decided to work on is the suspension; more specifically, the shocks. For this, I chose theTopCad 105mm Aluminum Piggyback Shocks mainly for the great looks, durable construction andpiggyback reservoirs.

Product: Aluminum Piggyback Shocks, 105mmManufacturer: TopCad, distributed by AsiaTeesProduct #: 23002gu (available in other colors as well)Average Cost: $22.00Installation Time: About 25 minutes

What’s in the BoxTopCad includes 2 fully built, aluminum threaded dampers complete with installed springs and functionalreservoirs. The upper cap, lower cap and reservoir cap all come attached with a rubber o-ring installed tohelp prevent leakage. There is even a bleeder screw in the cap should you build the shocks with too muchpack. A separate bag includes foam oil compensators, aluminum compensators, a couple of washers,spare screws and retaining nuts.

Installation

As I mentioned above, the piggyback shocks comefully assembled but you will still need to fill them withoil as well as choose how you want the reservoirs tobe built. The operation of the shocks out of the boxseemed a little sticky, but this is due to the fact that theshocks are built without any lubrication. To remedythis, I unscrewed the shock cartridge cap (at thebottom of the shock) and put a drop of oil on the shockshaft, re-attached the cap and slowly fed the shockshaft up into the body. Immediately I could feel how much smoother the shock action was! I proceeded tofill each shock with oil, pump the shaft to remove any air bubbles and then let the shocks sit for a fewminutes to allow all the bubbles to disappear.

Since the shock kit doesn’t come with instructions, I took this time to research reservoirs to see how theywork and hopefully give me a better idea on how to build them. Basically, when the suspension systemmoves up and down, it causes a state known as kinetic energy. Shock absorbers are designed to dampenthis and turns that energy into heat energy, using the aluminum shock body to dissipate the heat. Overrough terrain, this sustained movement can overload a standard, mono-tube shock and cause it tooverheat, making the shock oil foam and lose its damping effect. Now you’re relying on only the springwhich can cause a bouncy ride and very erratic handling. Reservoirs can help solve this problem byincreasing fluid capacity, helping to lower fluid temperatures and reducing shock fade.

With this new knowledge, I went back to theworkbench to finish my shocks. The TopCad shockreservoirs can be built a couple of ways; full oil, oilwith 1 foam compensator and 1 aluminumcompensator or oil with 2 foam compensators. Since Iprobably wasn’t going to be blasting through roughterrain at a speed where the I would be overheatingthe shocks, I wasn’t sure which way I should go so Ibuilt three shocks, each with one of the abovescenarios and did a bench test to see which felt best. Before building, however, I knew from experiencethat the foam compensators needed to be ‘pre-soaked’ with fluid; they are, after all, foam parts that trap airinside – and shocks hate air! I squeezed a puddle of shock fluid into a plastic container, dropped the 4compensators in and mushed them around until they were nice and soaked. After a pretty extensivebenchtop compression test (like, oh, 2-3 minutes tops), I decided to go with the 1 foam/1 aluminumcompensator simply because it felt the best.

Once all 4 shocks were built, final installation was a snap. Simply remove the old shocks and install thenew ones using the same hardware and same mounting location. Just make sure there is no interferencewith the reservoirs and any chassis tubing.

Performance

To give my new suspension setup a go, I headed to a local crawling spot that has a pretty intense rockgarden. Not only are there a ton of rocks to climb over but also some pretty steep inclines – a great test ofboth the tires and suspension. I started at the top and slowly made my way down the rocks, focusing onthe best lines to reduce the chances of sending the Wraith down the hill in a dramatic end-over-endfashion. One of the first things I noticed was how sure-footed the truck seemed; the cushy shocks weredoing a great job of keeping all 4 tires planted while still allowing maximum articulation in even the worstsituations. After completing the downhill run without any issues, I took a short break under a shady tree

and gave the truck a close look – especially around the shocks. Everything looked great – no leaks or lostspring perches. It was now time for the hard part – the uphill grind!

I started my trek up the steep hill, a much harder task than before since I had to fight gravity going up!Picking the right line was much more crucial and the tires had to do a LOT more clawing, but the Wraithwas awesome. I was feeling a little more comfortable during the climb so I started aiming for more difficultsections to really test the setup, but unfortunately this fuzzy feeling bit me in the ass. I got stuck in a tallcrevice near the top of the climb; the front tires were up and over the rocks but the rears were having atough time. I stabbed the throttle to try and ‘hop’ it up and over but instead flung the front end backwards!Down the hill the Wraith went, the whole time making those dreaded sounds you hear when plastic meetssolid rock. Thankfully I was able to gain control about half-way down, but by this time it had hit quite a fewtimes. I cautiously continued the climb, making it to the top without any further issues. I gave the Wraith aonce over, checking the shocks for leaking, bent shafts or dislodged springs or cups. The piggybacks werein excellent condition!

The first episode of my Axial Wraith project had me installing some aluminum goodies to help boost boththe look and durability of the crawler. These parts worked great to reduce some of the flex, allowing theWraith to have a more positive feel out on the rocks. The next area I decided to work on is the suspension;more specifically, the shocks. For this, I chose the TopCad 105mm Aluminum Piggyback Shocks mainly forthe great looks, durable construction and piggyback reservoirs. Product: Aluminum Piggyback Shocks,105mm Manufacturer: TopCad, distributed by AsiaTees Product #: 23002gu (available in other colors…

Excellent Upgrade Choice

Summary : If you're looking for a new set of 105mm shocks for you Axial Wraith, The TopCad AluminumPiggyback Shocks are an excellent choice! They are still super smooth after a few runs on the rocks andtrails with no signs of leakage. I wouldn't say the reservoirs are needed if you're only out for a slow crawl,but for a vehicle like the Wraith where any terrain at any speed is plausible, having these will definitely helpkeep all 4 tires stuck to the ground.

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